[17]
[Illustration: THE NORTHERN STATES IN THE REVOLUTION.]
[Footnote 17: See a picture of this and the other flags of the
Revolution in paragraph 142.]
136. American sharpshooters;[18] Washington's need of cannon and
powder; the attack on Canada; the British driven out of Boston.--Men
now came from all parts of the country to join the Continental Army.
Many of them were sharpshooters. In one case an officer set up a board
with the figure of a man's nose chalked on it, for a mark. A hundred
men fired at it at long distance, and sixty hit the nose. The
newspapers gave them great praise for their skill and said, "Now,
General Gage, look out for _your_ nose."
[Illustration: "NOW, GENERAL GAGE, LOOK OUT FOR _your_ NOSE."]
Washington wanted to drive General Gage and the British soldiers out
of Boston, but for months he could not get either cannon or powder.
Benjamin Franklin said that we should have to fight as the Indians
used to, with bows and arrows.
While Washington was waiting, a number of Americans marched against
the British in Canada; but the cold weather came on, and they nearly
starved to death: our men would sometimes take off their
moccasins[19] and gnaw them, while they danced in the snow to keep
their bare feet from freezing.
Pages:
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142